A Reading Group Guide to

Just South of Home

by Karen Strong

About the Book

Sarah and her younger brother, Ellis, along with their cousin Janie and Ellis’s friend Jasper, decide to investigate the hauntings at the old Creek Church. After carelessly awakening restless spirits that cause strange and otherworldly occurrences, the group has no idea how to lead these earthbound souls to rest. Motivated by compassion and a determination to bring peace to one of their own kin, the children discover the power of conviction and the belief in a purpose much greater than themselves. With the help of an eccentric local woman and a young boy from a very different time, this brave group finds the courage to heal a small southern town haunted by a dark history of racial injustice. As the people of Warrenville eventually bear witness to the fear and hatred that provoked unspeakable past cruelties, their respect, love, and hope allow other spirits to fully cross over and finally rest in peace. Just South of Home is more than a ghost story; it challenges readers to look at the fear found at the core of racially motivated hatred and violence, to recognize conflicting ideas, and to speak out against prejudice in order to shape a better future.

Discussion Questions

1. Can you predict any of the story’s plot from the cover? What did it suggest to you, or what kind of emotions did it evoke? Did it make you want to read the book?

2. Sarah’s first-person narrative creates the story’s tone. Can you relate to her voice? How might the story have differed if it were told from another character’s point of view?

3. Describe the community of Warrenville. How does its dark history contribute to the unfolding story? How does the community react?

4. At the beginning of the novel, Sarah is a cautious, mature, and responsible small-town girl living “inside her head” while Janie is the adventurous city-girl governed by her own rules and risk-taking impulses. It’s in Janie’s nature “to want to explore and get into trouble.” What do the cousins learn from each other by the end of the story? What do they learn about themselves?

5. Why don’t the children tell an adult about the strange happenings? Do you agree or disagree with this choice? What would you have done under those circumstances? Explain your answers. What are the consequences for Sarah and her friends?

6. Ellis wants nothing to do with Sarah’s and Janie’s plans, but the girls insist they all explore Creek Church further. Describe Ellis’s response. Do you think his fears are justified? Have you ever been asked to go along with something you didn’t want to do? How did it make you feel?

7. What do you think about Janie’s habit of stealing things? What is the difference between finding things and taking things? Is it ever right to take something that doesn’t belong to you? What is the significance of the cameo Janie takes from the graveyard?

8. Mrs. Whitney tells Sarah and Janie, “‘Haints are trapped. This earthly plane is not their home any more. They will always seek refuge until they are released to their true place of belonging.’” What do the haints need in order to be released and finally rest in peace? What does it mean to belong?

9. Mrs. Whitney is isolated by her community, suffering prejudices over her beliefs and folk practices. Why do you think people are so quick to judge her? What do the items she sells in her gift shop reveal about her? Explain your answers.

10. Mrs. Whitney makes amulets for the children and their family members to wear for protection. What is an amulet? She also gives Sarah a talisman for her windowsill. What is the difference between an amulet and a talisman?

11. What does Mrs. Whitney mean when she says to Sarah, “‘You can use whatever you like, child. Its power is in your belief’”? What do you think she means when she says, “‘Money is just one form of energy, child’”? Do you think Sarah finds this advice helpful? Explain your answers.

12. The author presents many recognizable themes. Cite examples of peer pressure, bullying, snobbery, loneliness, loss, disappointment, vulnerability, resilience, compassion, and friendship. What part does fear play in each of your examples? What are you most afraid of? How do you manage your fears?

13. What is Jasper’s role in the story? Describe his relationship with the other characters. Does Jasper remind you of someone you know or would like to know? Explain your answer.

14. Sarah narrates, “I hated that my brother’s stupid haint story had gotten inside my head. I didn’t believe in stuff like this. I believed in atoms and molecules. Not ghosts and curses.” What does Sarah’s fascination with the cosmos reveal about her? At what point is she able to put aside her need for scientific explanations? What changes her perceptions and her belief in the supernatural world? Have you ever believed in something as strongly as Sarah?

15. Which character do you relate to most? What makes you identify or connect with them? Which character is most unlike you? Who do you most admire in this story? Explain your answers.

16. Consider Sarah’s and Jovita’s friendship. How do the Jonas Girls impact this friendship? Are you surprised by any of the girls’ actions? What would you have done if you had been in Sarah’s place? Sarah narrates, “Mama always told me forgiveness was not for the other person but for yourself.” What do you think Sarah’s mother meant by this?

17. What is the significance of the dead oak tree in the graveyard? What effect does it have on Sarah? What is the significance of Sophie’s diary? What effects does it have on Mrs. Greene and Abner?

18. The author explores instances of historical racism, hatred, violence, prejudice, discrimination, and white supremacy. She also examines bias, intolerance, and other tensions that haunt present-day life in Warrenville and Alton. How do those historical themes relate to current-day issues? How do bias and prejudices affect characters’ relationships? Consider Janie’s personal bias against Sarah’s academic curiosity and her views on small, country towns. Consider negative judgements toward Mrs. Whitney. Cite other examples from the story, and explain your findings.

19. How might a community begin to address some of the issues discussed in the above question? Think about characters’ actions at the beginning and end of the story, and how their perspectives evolved. How might someone work to grow and better understand their surroundings?

20. Mrs. Greene is highly critical and full of bitterness. She insists on strict discipline and supervision for her grandchildren. What was your response to reading about such treatment? How did you feel after realizing the type of grief Mrs. Greene was carrying? Did it affect the way you viewed Mrs. Greene and her choices?

21. The Creek Church scenes are filled with imagery that conjures up intense feelings in Sarah’s group. Describe your favorite details from these scenes. What did they add to your understanding of what was happening there?

22. Sarah narrates, “The Creek Church boy stood in a sliver of porch light without casting a shadow . . . I squinted as his mouth moved. He was trying to say something, but I couldn’t understand him—I was too afraid to focus on anything.” What do you think Abner was trying to say to Sarah? What do you think Sarah might have said to him if she hadn’t been so afraid? If you could have spoken to him, what might you have said?

23. It’s no secret that there are restless spirits haunting Warrenville. What do these spirits represent to the townspeople? Why had so many of them refused to address the issue and free their blood kin’s spirits? What does it take to set things right and heal the town?

24. What parts of the story most held your interest? For what reasons? What scenes were the most suspenseful, surprising, disturbing, confusing, fascinating, heartwarming, inspiring, or humorous? Explain your answers.

25. In your opinion, what was Sarah’s greatest moment? What was Janie’s or Jasper’s? Do you think Ellis had a greatest moment? How were these moments important to the story? Explain your answers.

26. Sarah’s group faced multiple fears, sensing a purpose much greater than themselves. Have you ever had to confront your fears to do something you thought you lacked the courage to do? What was the result? What advice would you have for others in similar situations? Explain your answers.

27. What do you think is at the heart of this story? Has the novel changed your perspective about anything? What have you learned about yourself? Do you think you might do things differently in the future as a result of reading this book? Explain your answers.

Extension Activities and Further Reading

1. Choose a moment from the story and create a sense response to that scene. Think about your immediate thoughts, feelings, and emotions after reading the passage. Does any imagery come to mind? In your response, reflect on your visceral sense of experience; don’t worry about remaining completely accurate to the text. Your response could be in the form of a painting, a collage, musical playlist, or any other form of expression that is meaningful to you.

2. Jasper says, “‘Mrs. Whitney says we can’t change the past, but we need to remember it. We need to acknowledge it and not hide it.’” The idea of bearing witness is important to all victims of prejudice and injustice. By bearing witness, others can stand up for those who aren’t able to tell their own stories, empowering movements to fight against injustices.

Sometimes, to bear witness means using our own personal or cultural stories to speak out against wrong-doing. Write a poem, essay, short play, song, or a dance to tell your family’s or your community’s story. Pick an impactful experience to begin, and explain how that has affected other moments or people. How might you express yourself with the hope of encouraging others to make the world a better place? Is there an experience you might want others to replicate, or something you’ve gone through that you’d like them to learn from and improve upon for the future?

3. Read Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Gregory Mone (2019). This guide to the cosmos invites readers to explore the mysteries of the universe and includes forty full-color illustrations, infographics, and principles of scientific inquiry. How do you think Sarah would have felt reading this book? What about Janie? What parts most excite you, and what would you like to learn more about?

4. Watch episodes of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winner for educational content; this documentary television series explores the wonders of outer space with host and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Does it change your perspective on the world around you?

5. Read Leon’s Story by Leon Walter Tillage, the son of a sharecropper growing up in rural North Carolina in the 1940s (2000). As a young boy, Leon remembers hiding in terror from the Klansmen as they made their night raids. This autobiography is based on a speech he gives at a school in Baltimore, Maryland, where he works as a custodian. He wanted to bear witness to, as he says, “the uselessness of hatred and the senselessness of racism.”

6. Read A Wreath for Emmett Till by Newbery-winning author and poet Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Philippe Lardy. By honoring a young fourteen-year-old African American boy brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955, Nelson draws attention to the story that helped fuel the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and 1960s. Nelson uses an intricate form of poetry that she refers to as a heroic crown of Italian sonnets, in which she encourages readers to speak out against violence and brutality and all modern-day injustices. Think about poetry as a form of storytelling. How does it compare to reading a novel-length text? How does it capture emotions?

7. Consider reading other fiction and nonfiction with similar themes, settings, and characters:

Fiction Novels

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

Midnight without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson

This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by James Ransome

Witness by Karen Hesse

Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan

Nonfiction Books

Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case by Chris Crowe

They Called Themselves the K.K.K: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

This guide was written in 2019 by Judith Clifton, M.Ed, MS, Educational and Youth Literary Consultant, Chatham, MA.

This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.